Update: El Paso Police ID Woman Hit By Bullet In Downtown; Bullet Believed To Have Come From Mexico
Update:El Paso Police have identified the woman who was shot in Downtown El Paso, possibly by a bullet from Juarez, Mexico, as 48-year-old Maria Romero who lives in El Paso.
Previous Story: El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said Tuesday afternoon that a bullet that punctured a woman’s right calf in Downtown El Paso Tuesday morning is believed to have come from Mexico.
Police said a 48-year-old woman was shopping on Overland near Oregon when her leg was hit by a bullet just after 11 a.m. Tuesday.
A shootout happened at the same time in Juarez as when the woman was hit with the bullet.
Guillen Middle School, Aoy Elementary and Hart Elementary were put on lockdown from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
“We do take this extremely seriously,” El Paso Mayor John Cook said. “This is another difficulty for El Paso and the border region when we’re trying to highlight how safe our community is. This is still a great place to live.”
El Paso Sheriff’s Office Commander Gomecindo Lopez called the shooting “highly disturbing.”
This is not the first time that a bullet from Mexico has been fired into El Paso.
A bullet struck Bell Hall on the UTEP campus on the evening of Aug. 21, 2010. Nobody was injured and UTEP Police believe the bullet may have been related to a shootout in Juarez, Mexico that occurred at the same time. The shooting resulted in the temporary closure of Paisano Drive from Executive Center to Santa Fe Street in El Paso. One person was killed in the shootout in Juarez. There were no reported injures in El Paso.
At about 5 p.m. June 29, 2010 a bullet traveled from a shootout in Juarez through a ninth floor window of El Paso City Hall, then through an interior wall, before striking a picture frame and stopping. Further investigation revealed that the north and south stucco walls of City Hall were struck by an additional six rounds at varying heights on the walls. El Paso City Hall did not appear to be the specific target of the rounds. City employees were inside City Hall during the incident. There were no reported injuries in El Paso from the incident.
Related Links:Link: Special Reports: ABC-7’s Paul Cicala Travels Throughout Chihuahua To Highlight State’s PositivesLink: Los Angeles Times Mexico Drug War Special Project
